Welcome

Welcome to the POZ/AIDSmeds Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ/AIDSmeds community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

Author
Topic: eye doctor disclosure (Read 6783 times)

I've reached that time when I need to see an eye doctor for the first time.. eyes get tired fast, vision is a bit blurry and I can't read shit if it's too close. The question is.. should I tell the eye doctor i'm hiv? Is it relevant for vision?

Same thing applies to the eye doctor as applies to the dentist: there are specific HIV related issues to look for when giving an exam. Your eye exam must include a check for CMV retinitis, it is important. The lower the CD4count the more crucial. Just as with the dentist who looks for thrush or gum health issues, the eye doctor is an important part of the HIV health TEAM. There is not ONE HIV doctor any more but many.....your ID doctor does not perform eye exams. Your orthopedist does not perform dental work. So treat all your doctors as a HEALTH TEAM. They must all know your status.

Yes, the opthalmologist definitely needs to know your status. Mine always asks about my current VL and CD4. I used to have to go a lot more frequently (no immune system, you know) but once a year is good now for me.

If it's just an optometrist testing your vision for glasses.....I don't suppose they really need to know, but still it wouldn't hurt.

Alan

Logged

"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

Alan, mine always asks if there has been any medication changes and he asks about my CD4 level and VL and asks if I've noticed any vision problems. I have a test that I'm suppose to look at once a week to see if there are any changes. I don't remember the name of the test. It's just a bunch of little square boxes. If they are to wave or blur I'm to contact him.

Thanks for the answers. I expected people to say "of course, are you ignorant or what?", but ya know, I like myself a little bit of spanking now and then. I never had eye problems before so I never paid attention to what eye problem could be related with HIV. Now I know

I've reached that time when I need to see an eye doctor for the first time.. eyes get tired fast, vision is a bit blurry and I can't read shit if it's too close. The question is.. should I tell the eye doctor i'm hiv? Is it relevant for vision?

Milker

40 hits pretty hard, don't it!

Get the reading glasses. They will help, and you will get over it. Most likely.

And take the CMV warnings seriously. If your CD4 count is less than 50, do it every 6 months. (or is it every 3 months? The memory is the next thing to go, after the eyes.)

JR (who will now retire with thoughts of spanking Milker. For that, thank you ever so)

Logged

It goes like thisThe fourth, the fifth,The minor fall, the major lift,The baffled king composing Hallelujah!

My apologies for coming across like that! Sometimes I should think more before posting.

Allan

Oh allan, absolutely not!!!!!!!!! You're right, there are many aspects of HIV that I haven't learned yet. I didn't see (no pun intended) the relation between HIV and eyes because I know nothing about eye diseases, so no need to apologize !

I've reached that time when I need to see an eye doctor for the first time.. eyes get tired fast, vision is a bit blurry and I can't read shit if it's too close. The question is.. should I tell the eye doctor i'm hiv? Is it relevant for vision?

Milker

Milker, come on now surely you jest? Unless you are fucking your opthamologist or optometrist I see no reason to share it unless you feel you have some HIV related issue of concern.

Then again, I've been up late cleaning the house and inhaling solvents and chemicals so my judgement may well be impaired ; )

Seriously, I wouldn't worry bout it. Tell em, what do you have to loose? You're the customer and I'm thinking he/she probably would like to retain their medical license.

Yes, sweetie, you should. I am glad you are finally getting glasses. Have been wearing glasses for only 6 years now. I now have regular appointments with an ophtalmologist to monitor for any eye disease progressions. My doc referred me to him since I am terrified of losing my eyesight. Of all the things that can happen to my system because I'm HIV+, losing my sight is the most terrifying, I think.xxx,Mike

P.S. Yes, it's one of those HIV virus related woes that imposes an unintended lifestyle on ya.

I'm supposed to get my eyes checked every six months, not just because of having AIDS, but also because I have diabetes. I have diabetic retinopathy in my right eye and a cataract developing in my left. I have to be special, you know.

Logged

I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.-Clarence Darrow

FYI, your retinas can indicate early signs of heart disease. Also people with HIV are 6-8 times more likely to have corneal infections, which I have had multiple times. We are also susceptible to all kinds of eye nasties.

Can we get at what the heart of this matter is? Why do people even question disclosing to medical personnel in the first place? Is it just a n00b-ignorance issue? I've been putting "HIV" on every form that I fill out when I go for an initial visit since I can remember first starting to go to an endless stream of specialists 10 years ago, and NEVER ONCE has anyone blinked an eye. I realize that I had the luxury of living in NYC and where I do currently, and the medical communities there obviously encounter this more, but milker also lives in an urban area as do most on this board. I suppose if I lived in a rural area I might be cautious, but probably not. What's more important? I complete medical record or a doctor's potential freak out (which I'd wager is 97% completely in your mind in the first place)?

I'm sorry, but I just don't understand the worry here. I really, really do not.

Really, I had plans to disclose. It's just total ignorance about eye issues that made me just wonder and post here. I don't recall having any eye exam done in my life.

Philly, don't you realize you will have an opportunity to shop for my frames? Dolce Gabana or Walmart?

Milker.

Well, as I stated in another thread I've never been horribly huge on Dolce but I'm too mortified of Wal*marts to even consider this. I don't wear glasses of the prescriptive sort so I'm afraid I can't offer any advice. However, about 20 years ago I used to have a couple pair of glasses with plain clear lenses in them to wear to job interviews because I thought they made me look older. One were gold wire spectacles and the others made me look like Morrissey circa 1985.

FYI, your retinas can indicate early signs of heart disease. Also people with HIV are 6-8 times more likely to have corneal infections, which I have had multiple times. We are also susceptible to all kinds of eye nasties.

When I was last time at my eye doc ( he exams only HIVers ) , and I`m shortsighted and wear glasses ocassionaly and contact lenses for over 30 yrs , it was not unclear to me if there is any other medical conditions beside CMV that we should be concerned of (or any other eye medical conditions that are connected with HIV)...........so maybe if is not too complicated , you should tell your doc ..............but that`s my 2cc

I can still remember when I didn't disclose to a former eye doctor out of fear and wanting to keep things private. I was being fitted for contact lenses in the the late '90s and my eyes felt so uncomfortable in every brand that we tried. Turns out, I found out later, that my meds (PIs) were causing me to have dry eye and I couldn't get any comfort with my lenses. I visited that poor doc over and over, trying to find lenses that felt good and didn't stick to my eyes. I wish I would've been up front with him from the beginning. I have a different eye doctor now who has known me for about 8 years and knows all of my history.

You can never be too safe, whether its from lens comfort or early detection of something going on in your eyes. Disclose!

I have a very good eye doctor right in Hillcrest. He is very knowledgable about HIV as it relates to eye ball health. PM me and I will send you his contact information. Plus he does this cool new take a picture of the back of your eye which you get to see. Anyway, hope all goes well. I am on the cusp of reading glasses myself ....

I've reached that time when I need to see an eye doctor for the first time.. eyes get tired fast, vision is a bit blurry and I can't read shit if it's too close. The question is.. should I tell the eye doctor i'm hiv? Is it relevant for vision?

Milker

I would definitely disclose it. I did and in doing so it made my opthamologist look for specific problems that can arise in poz people. Luckily for me I still have 20/20 vision and my ret is fine. One thing to think about, being poz and on meds your eyes can a lot of times have "migranes" of the eye which can give you the blurry vision, tiredness or you may see stars or black specs......I originally thought it was a much worse problem but found out I was far from going blind due to hiv and there was nothing wrong with my ret. My advice, just disclose it so he looks for what he needs to look out for.